Delivered but disputed: how proof of delivery ends the argument
"We never got it." Every delivery operation hears it. Sometimes the order really is missing. More often it was left at the back door, signed for by someone on the morning shift, or delivered short and remembered as not delivered at all.
Without proof, every one of these becomes a credit, a phone call, or both. With proof, it is one message.
What to capture at every door
Proof only works if it's captured the same way at every stop. Four things cover almost every dispute:
- Photos. The product at the drop-off point, and the receipt if there is one.
- Items. Which items were delivered, and which were out of stock or replaced, confirmed at the door.
- Signature. A name and a signature from the person receiving.
- Time and place. When the driver arrived, and that it was at the right address.
Miss one and the argument moves to the gap. A signature with no item check invites "it was short". Photos with no time invite "that was last week".
Make it part of the stop, not an extra step
Drivers skip optional steps when they're behind. Proof has to be part of finishing the stop. In Drofilla, the driver confirms delivery from one sheet: photos, items, then the signature. Then the next stop opens right after.
Tell the customer as it happens
Many disputes start because the customer didn't know where the order was. A tracking link, and a text at each step under your company name, answer "where is my order?" before anyone has to call. When the order is delivered, the customer already knows.
When a dispute comes in
Open the order. The photos, the item check, the signature and the arrival time are all on it, ready to share. If an item really was missing, the record shows that too, and the fix is fast and fair.
FAQ
Do photos slow drivers down? Not when they're part of the stop. Three photos and a signature take less time than the call that follows a missing one.
What if nobody is there to sign? Capture photos of the drop-off point. Your policy decides when that's enough.